


Paintdrop

by apathetic_coffee



Category: Disney - All Media Types, Epic Mickey (Video Games), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Tangled (2010) Fusion, Came up with this on a whim, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gen, Inspired by Tangled (2010), also planned the entire story on a whim, so i'll probably just write on this in my free time. idk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 15:15:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29968329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apathetic_coffee/pseuds/apathetic_coffee
Summary: A retelling of Tangled (2010) with Mickey Mouse characters. Takes place within an Epic Mickey- esque universe.
Comments: 13
Kudos: 25





	1. Chapter 1

Toons are composed of two things; a Heart-- an organ made of pure positive energy, deriving from the love and recognition of humanity...and Paint, which runs through their veins, their minds, their souls, and makes up every inch of their bodies.

It was known that these two things were the building blocks of toon life. Without a Heart, a toon could not exist. Without Paint, a toon could not exist. But going deeper than that, looking beyond the confines of simple words...one could say what made up the bodies of toons was Pigment.

Pigment was the essence of Paint. The smallest unit of it. It provided color, magic-- it provided life to what would otherwise be a normal puddle of paint. Pigment was the magic that flowed through cartoon characters. Pigment was what brought them to life.

You see, once upon a time, a single drop of pure Pigment fell from the bright, blue sky.

And this drop of Pigment landed in a small pond, surrounded by colorful flowers and bushes-- staining the water with a illuminating blue color.

This pond had the power to allow Toons to live forever. The water emitted enough pure, concentrated Pigment, enough pure magic, to keep a Toon alive-- to keep Paint coursing through their veins even after it had rotted away, and to keep their Heart beating even after humanity had forgotten them.

Elsewhere, centuries passed, and soon enough...from the toon society, sprung a kingdom. The kingdom was ruled by a beloved King, a Queen, and their three children. The children were the prides of their parents, starting with Felicity Disney-- the oldest, a mouse toon; Julius Disney-- the middle child, a cat; and finally, Oswald Disney-- the youngest of the three, a bouncing baby rabbit. The family of five ruled their kingdom mercifully, and were loved by all.

One day, however, the Queen came down with a terrible sickness. Her people knew she and her unborn child would not survive it, and that's when the kingdom started to look for a miracle. Or in this case, a magic blue pond.

But this pond was nowhere to be found.

You see, instead of sharing the sky's gift, there existed a toon-- the Mad Doctor-- who hoarded its healing power, and used it to keep himself alive for decades and decades, long after humanity had forgotten him. And all he had to do was recite the words of a special song.

"Color come to life,

let your luster shine.

Memories reverse,

create what once was mine,

draw what's been erased,

fade from black to white,

paint what now is gone,

create what once was mine...

what once was mine."

But fate had other plans. One day, a scouting party came across the pond, and were enamored by the blue glow it had emitted. This was the miracle they were searching for.

All of the Pigment from the pond was mixed into a cure, and fed to the Queen.

And to the relief of the entire kingdom, the magic of the Pigment pond healed their beloved ruler.

After her recovery, a healthy baby boy-- a prince, named Mickey, was born-- with beautiful blue hair and fur. To celebrate his birth, the two oldest siblings launched a colorful firework into the sky. For that one moment, everything was perfect.

And then, that moment ended.

The Mad Doctor scattered along the marble floor of the palace hallway, bits of twilight fluttering in the air around him. Moonlight shone through the windows and illuminated his path.

He came before the baby boy in the bed, momentarily eyeing his makeup, and ran his fingertips along his soft blue hair. This was what remained of the Doctor's pond. Of his Pigment.

It wasn't too long now before he would fade out of existence. He needed its magic. And he needed it now.

"Color come to life," he started, his voice low and melodic, "let your luster shine, memories rev--"

The Doctor suddenly froze upon hearing the clattering footsteps of palace guards. They were approaching the room. Any moment, they would break down the door and tear him away from his pond forever.

He couldn't let that happen.

In what seemed like an instant, the man wrapped the child in a thick blanket and escaped through the window. And just like that, the Prince was gone. 

The Kingdom searched and searched, but they could not find their stolen Prince. For deep within the forest, in a hidden tower, the Mad Doctor raised the child as his own.

"Color come to life..." the child started, resting upright against the wooden back of a chair, "let your luster shine...memories reverse..."

The Doctor rhythmically ran a brush down the boy's long, flowing hair. It came to life with ribbons of Pigment, emitting a bright blue glow.

"...create what once was mine, what once was mine."

The song came to a gentle finish, and the child's hair dimmed back to its natural blue. Only the words of that special song would bring out the glow in his fur, and only the words of that song would activate its magical powers.

The Mad Doctor could feel his body rematerialize. Without this child, without that song, his Heart would stop beating-- and he would fade away and be forgotten. He could not allow that to happen.

"...Why can't I go outside?" the boy asked, after a long moment running his fingers down his blue hair in silence.

"The outside world is a dangerous place, my boy." the Mad Doctor responded. "Filled with horrible, selfish people. You must stay here, where you're safe. Do you understand, teardrop?"

"Yes father." was all the child responded with.

But the walls of that tower could not hide everything. 

Each year, on the Prince's birthday, Julius and Felicity Disney shot hundreds of fireworks into the sky in hopes that one day, their lost brother would return.

~

"Oh Pluto...?"

The mouse's shoes clicked along the stone floor as he hesitantly turned the corner to the balcony. He pushed open the wooden doors, revealing the bright meadow resting just beyond the confines of his tower. 

"Where is that dog 'a mine..." Mickey spoke in a sing-songy manner. After a moment of resting his arms on the balcony, the mouse rolled his eyes over to the flowerpots. He then slammed his foot against the pots, causing them to fly across the porch, revealing the familiar orange canine to be huddled behind them.

"Found you!" Mickey then knelt down to Pluto's level. "Whelp, that's twenty two for me. How about twenty three...out of forty five?"

The dog shook his head, which caused the mouse to cross his arms in response.

"Well, then what do you wanna do?"

Pluto clumsily climbed onto the ledge of the balcony, gesturing to the grassy green meadow below them. Mickey brought his gaze to the sky.

"Not this again." he responded, "You know how Father feels about leavin' the tower. I like it in here, 'n so do you." 

Pluto shot the other a frown as he spun around and headed back into the tower. With a sigh, the dog promptly followed suit. 

As Mickey began to step through the stone halls, his 70 feet of long, blue hair slid behind his feet.

"I mean, look at all the fun I can have here." Mickey placed his hands onto his hips and eyed the vast expanse of the tower that surrounded him. "We can do chores! Are there any dishes we haven't done?"

Pluto shook his head in response.

"Uhh...any rooms we haven't swept? Any clothes we haven't folded?"

Pluto, once again, shook his head.

"Well uhhhm...we could read a book! If there are any here we haven't read." He slumped against the tower wall. "Orrrr maybe we could find a new corner 'a the gallery that hasn't already been painted over. Or we could...play ukulele!"

The mouse promptly slipped a comically large ukulele out of his pocket hammerspace-- which Pluto knocked out of his hands, leaving it sliding across the stone floor below their feet. 

"...Hm. Yeah, I guess you probably heard me play that a million times now." Mickey took a deep breath before continuing. "What about...knitting, or baking, or sewing a new dress, or pottery, or ventriloquy, or puzzles, or darts, or sketching, or arts and crafts, or ballet, or..." His eyes met with the mural far above their heads. The ceiling was plastered with hundreds of his own paintings. "Did I already say painting?"

Pluto nodded.

"Hm." Mickey felt himself slump back against the hard stone wall. "Done all those things already, huh. Well..." His fingertips moved along his silky blue hair. "Maybe I could brush, and brush, and brush and brush and brush my hair, ‘n..."

The mouse fell backwards onto the pile of his own hair that had pooled behind him. Staring up at the colorful ceiling, he contemplated for a few long seconds before speaking again. 

"Gosh. I sure am runnin' outta things to do around here, aren't I?"

Another moment of silence lingered in the air.

"You know. My birthday's gonna be in a few days. Maybe...maybe we could..."

Mickey arose from the floor and approached the west wall of the tower, draped by a large, purple curtain. Swinging the curtain aside revealed a large mural, smeared and splattered in hundreds of colors, resembling a self portrait of himself beneath an array of colorful lights. 

Every year, on his birthday, thousands of those lights would appear in the night sky, with more colors than all of the rainbows on Earth. 

"Maybe we could finally ask to see the rainbow lights this year."


	2. Chapter 2

“Oh man. I could get used to a view like this.”

Oswald spoke with his hands placed onto his hips, and his gaze stretched far beyond the vast distance of the kingdom before him.

“Yannow what, I’m used to it. Pegleg, I want a castle.”

The rabbit was currently standing atop the roof of a large, marble palace, with a glass pane peering into the interior below. Within the palace, a single, sparkly tiara could be seen, resting on a cushioned pedestal. 

A tiara that was the object of today’s interest.

"We do this job, you can buy your own castle." responded Pegleg Pete-- a boulder of a toon, clad in a rough looking uniform. Oswald's literal partner in crime, at the moment.

The two were on a mission, and their plan involved removing the glass pane separating the roof from the interior of the palace, and carefully lowering themselves far enough below to snatch the tiara without being noticed by the heavily armed guardsmen surrounding it.

"Wait, what'a you doin'?" Pete asked, upon noticing the rabbit slip on the thick harness attached to the rope. "Ya think I'm lowerin' you down there?"

Oswald looked to the rope, then back to his partner. "Uh...yeah."

"Well-- how do I know that once you get that there tiara, 'n I pull you up, you ain't gonna run off?" responded Pete.

"What--" Oswald blinked. "Are ya serious? After everything, all we been through, you don't trust me?"

"No." was curtly all the other responded with.

"Wow. Wow. Okay. Well, full disclosure," the rabbit continued, plopping down, "when I was a little boy, I made a promise to my parents, that I'd never, ever lie to anyone." He took a deep breath. "And when they died, I made it my purpose-- my motivation, in life-- to ensure that that promise wasn't in vain."

Pete raised an eyebrow in response.

"So, if you wanna do this with me, you're just gonna hafta trust me, big guy." added Oswald. 

And with a hefty sigh, the cat toon followed his request. It only took a few seconds for the rabbit to be carefully lowered into the palace, and even more carefully, snatch the tiara and slip it into his satchel. Giving the other a thumbs up in response, Oswald was then slowly, steadily lifted up and through the hole in the roof without being spotted.

"So," started Pete, his voice a low whisper, "where's the tiara?"

"Right here." Oswald responded with a shake of his leather satchel.

"Alright. Give it to me." 

Oswald hesitated a moment before speaking again. "...Mmm, yeah, I dunno about that actually. I mean, I was the one who stole it, 'n now I'm the one currently in possession of it, 'n switchin' up that status quo would kinda be a hassle, yannow..."

Pete blinked. "Wh-- no, what?? Gimme the tiara!! What about your parents!?"

"Yeahhhh..." Oswald responded, "the thing is, my parents died when I was a baby. I ain't ever met them, actually." 

Before Pete could respond to that, the rabbit gave him a forceful nudge backwards, causing the cat toon to fall backwards through the hole in the roof, and into the palace-- landing on the floor with a hard thud.

Oswald didn't look back after that, but after hearing the clamoring of guardsmen clad in steel, and the furious call of his partner from below, the rabbit knew he didn't really have the chance to.

The rabbit felt his legs move faster than he ever had before, pushing and shoving his way through the outskirts of the kingdom in what seemed like an instant. The stone buildings and colorful landmarks zipped passed his vision, again and again and again, until they were no more-- and he found himself surrounded by tall and bulky trees that shaded his way. Bits of twilight shone through the leaves overhead, and he could hear the clip-clop of palace horses in the far distance.

He kept going, kept running, kept pushing his way past vines and crawling his way beneath bushes, but his adrenaline did not aid him for much longer. He needed somewhere to hide.

Luckily, in the far distance, he could spot what seemed like a tall, tower-like structure.

~

"Mickeeeey! Let down your haaaair!"

The mouse could hear his father's voice echo below the balcony of his tower. He tried to recollect himself before poking his head outside; he had a very important question he wanted to ask today.

"Mickey!" the Doctor continued. "I am not getting much younger down here!"

Slinging his bright blue hair onto the hook placed just above his head, Mickey dropped his seventy feet of fur down the length of the tower, pooling in the grass below. He watched as the Mad Doctor grabbed ahold of it, using his hair as a rope, as Mickey slowly pulled him up the exterior of the building. 

"Hiya! Welcome home, father!" Mickey greeted, before releasing the Doctor and pulling his hair off of the hook.

"Hello, my dear boy." The Mad Doctor spoke without even looking to him. "Oh, how you manage to do that every day, without fail, is beyond me."

"Well, you know--" Mickey started, before being interrupted by his father.

"Say, Mickey, have you even done any of your chores today? This place is an absolute pigsty." The Mad Doctor eyed the orange canine huddled behind Mickey. "I suppose that is to be expected with all of these filthy animals running around here."

Before Mickey could object, he was interrupted once again.

"I am just teasing, my boy. Although, you could afford to sweep around here, every once in a while. Maybe dust a bit as well."

Mickey didn't bother responding to that.

"Say, Mickey, come over here." his father spoke, standing before a full-body sized mirror. The mouse approached it, and caught sight of himself, clad in the same purple lace bodice and puffy pants he had worn since he was a child. The Doctor, on the other hand, was dressed in a silky dark red coat that clung to his wrists and ankles. 

"When I look in this mirror, do you know what it is I see?" his father asked. "I see a confident, handsome young toon. Oh look! You are here too!"

The Mad Doctor broke out into a fit of laughter, to which Mickey responded, "Only gets funnier every time ya make that joke..."

"Oh Teardrop, Father is feeling somewhat, how is it you say, 'under the weather.'" Mickey noticed his father look to his gloved hands as he spoke. "Could you be a dear and sing for me? Your songs, they always make me feel better."

"Oh! Okay, alright." Mickey responded, before immediately lassoing the Doctor in his long, blue hair, and swinging him over to the cushioned wooden chair placed in the center of the room. Before the man could process what was happening, Mickey slid a stool over to the area, pulled a large hairbrush out of his hammerspace, and plopped down onto the seat across from him.

The mouse sat his father down and threw a bundle of hair into his lap, along with the hairbrush, and began to quickly sing,

"Color come to life, let your luster shine, memories reverse, create what once was mine,"

and the Mad Doctor could not keep up with his pace, quickly brushing and brushing the lustrous hair within his grasp, growing more anxious as the mouse seemed to speed up,

"draw what's been erased, fade from black to white, paint what now is gone, create what once was mine!"

"Mickey!!" the Doctor exclaimed, feeling the Paint make up his body quickly materialize. 

"So, father, earlier I was tryin' to talk to you," Mickey started, unfazed, "but I didn't really get to say what I wanted, so I ain't gonna beat around the bush this time-- it's gonna be my birthday! I'm turnin'-- well, you know how old I'm turnin', and I was hoping--"

"Nono, that cannot be right." the Doctor interrupted once again. "Your birthday, it is not until next week."

Mickey blinked, then gave an awkward chuckle. "No, no, it's...it's this week. It's-- and I was wonderin', if, um..."

"My boy, just spit it out." responded his father. "You know how I feel about the stammering. The 'um' the 'uh' the 'well', it is very annoying. Aha, I am only playing, Teardrop, you know how much I love you--"

"I want to see the rainbow lights!"

Mickey didn't realize he had blurted out exactly what he had been thinking, and seeing the blank look on his father's face caused him to shift uneasily in his seat.

"What?" was all the man asked.

"You know, the ones that...come up every year, on my birthday. The-- the 'stars' as you call them, even though I ain't really sure if they're stars--"

The Mad Doctor furrowed his eyebrows at that. "You wish to go outside? Oh, my dear boy, look at you. You are so fragile, so small. You are but a wee toon."

"Fathe--" Mickey started, before being cut off.

"You know why we stay up in this tower, Mickey. This world is a harsh and unforgiving place. Do you know how many predators mice have? I mean..." The Doctor stood up from his seat and began to pace around the mouse. "Not to mention-- ruffians, thugs, poison ivy, quicksand, cannibals, and snakes, the plague--" 

"But--" Mickey started.

"Wait." responded the Doctor. "Also large bugs, men with pointy teeth...stop, no more, you will just upset me!"

"But Father, we've never even--" 

"Do not worry, my boy. Father is right here. Father will protect you. I mean, on your own, you would not survive even a single second outside. Look at yourself. Sloppy, underdressed, immature, clumsy-- they will eat you up alive out there! Quite literally. Not to mention, gullible, naive, ditzy and emotional..."

Mickey's voice dropped a bit as he spoke. "Father, please, can I just--" 

"See, right there. Cannot handle even the slightest bit of criticism. Trust me, Teardrop. The outside world is a scary, scary place."

"But-- but you go out there every single day, 'n you--"

"Yes, and I am sure you have noticed how run down I am when I return! This world-- it is draining, it is tough, and every day when I leave this tower-- it is...it is like running the sandpaper against my soul. Do you understand? Do you understand why I must keep you up here?"

Mickey didn't respond, and averted his eyes.

"Teardrop, answer me."

"I..." the mouse twirled a thick strand of hair around his finger. "Yes. Yes, I...understand."

The Mad Doctor gave the toon a patient look, then took a deep breath. "Say. Why don't I head to the market, and get you some of those-- the paints, that you like? Perhaps it would take your mind off of this 'outside' business."

Mickey had so many things he wanted to say, so, so many things. But he kept quiet, and gave his father a simple nod.

"Alright. I will be back in a bit. Do not forget, I love you."

"I love you more." responded the mouse.

"I love you most."


	3. Chapter 3

Oswald was lucky he was so light.

He had managed to scale the wall of the tower by jamming thick branches between the bricks, and if he were any heavier, they would have snapped under his weight. 

The tower was about thirty or forty feet, lengthwise, and was painted in a dark, navy blue, with pieces of paint chipped and withered away. 

He rhythmically moved upwards until finally, painstakingly reaching the opening placed at the top of the tower. Slipping his feet over the balcony, he took a few steps inside, and was greeted by the colorful interior plastered with curtains and paintings. 

The rabbit took a deep breath before moving his hands to his satchel. He could feel the familiar grooves of the tiara within it. Pulling the ornament out, he rubbed his fingers along it, before saying,

"Finally, alone at last."

and promptly being whacked unconscious by the hard base of a ukulele.

Mickey shakily lowered the ukulele and got a closer look at the intruder, who was now lying motionless on the floor. A rabbit, presumably shorter than him, dressed in a black denim vest, blue khakis loosely tucked into his boots, and a bundle of chains and belts. He had never seen anyone besides his father, and seeing a toon that looked so much like him was...different, to be blunt.

Pluto sniffed the rabbit's head, curiously, before looking to Mickey. The mouse was unsure of what to do, and could feel panic rise in his throat. Taking a deep breath, he eyed the area for any place he could hide this body. Then his eyes met with the closet placed on the other side of the room.

He dragged the rabbit over to the piece of furniture in question, and opening the door with his free hand, quickly shoved the body inside. He slammed it closed with a loud thud.

"Alright." Mickey spoke with a huff, his back against the closet door. "Alright, this is under control. I got this under control."

He paused upon noticing the pensive look upon Pluto's face.

"Don't look at me like that. So...so there's a toon in my closet. Happens to the best've us. It's...I mean, it's not like anything even happened!! I...I knocked out a scary man and now he's in my closet. I..."

Mickey looked down to the ukulele in his hands, then to the closet behind him.

"Hey! Wait a gosh darn minute! I did that! I knocked out a scary man, and now he's in my closet!"

He swung the instrument around in a celebratory manner.

"Who can't handle the world now, fath--" he started, before suddenly whacking his head with the base of the ukulele and emitting an "OW!"

The mouse then took a few steps towards a nearby chair, but paused upon hearing a soft crunch beneath his shoe. Picking up his foot, he noticed a small, black circlet dotted in jewels. A tiara.

"Was this his?" Mickey asked, looking to Pluto. After a moment of hesitation, the mouse bent over and slipped the tiara into his gloved hand. He then ran his fingertips along its sleek edge.

"Whaddya...whaddya think this is...? Some kinda food?"

Looking at the circlet caused Pluto to sit in place and wag his tail excitedly, which prompted Mickey to toss it down to him.

The dog clamped his teeth onto the tiara before shaking his head, attempting to snap it in half. After a few seconds of no avail, he dropped it back onto the stone floor with a hollow clatter. 

"Huh. Well, if we can't eat it, it's probably...oh! Wait! What if it's some kinda collar?"

The mouse knelt down to Pluto's level and placed the tiara before him, attempting to slide it onto his neck, but paused upon noticing how it looked when held atop his head.

Hesitating for a moment, the mouse stood up and looked at the mirror. He then slowly and carefully brought the circlet to his own head, resting it just between his ears. And for a moment, for a brief moment, it felt...right.

But that moment was soon interrupted by the familiar voice of his father.

"Oh Mickey! Let down your haaaaair!"

"Oh boy." Mickey murmured to himself, before instinctively slipping off the tiara, throwing his hair onto the hook above the balcony, and lowering it to the Doctor's level. Raising him back up the length of the tower, he gave his father a nervous wave. 

"Hiya Fath--"

"Oh Mickey, I have a wonderful surprise for you." The Doctor interrupted. "I think you will enjoy it, see--"

"Father I, um, I actually have a surprise of m--" Mickey spoke, before being cut off once again. 

"Oh Teardrop, you know how very much I hate the stammering. Look, look-- I brought real swiss cheese from the market! I know how much you love it. Surprise!"

"Aha, Father I was actually..." Mickey started, giving himself a few seconds of silence to ensure he would not be interrupted again. "I actually need to...tell you somethin'."

"Tell me something?" the Doctor asked, unloading the groceries from his bag. He looked away from Mickey as he spoke. "My boy, tell me it is not about the stars. You know how much I hate arguing with you. Especially when I have done absolutely nothing wrong."

Mickey gave a stifled sigh. "F-Father, I wasss...I've been...thinkin' about what you said earlier. About the...about the stars, and about how you don't think I could handle it."

"Yes, and then I am sure we agreed to drop the subject."

"Yeah but..." Mickey slowly made his way to the closet. "But-- but I actually have somethin' that might make you change your m--"

"Mickey, I am very sure nothing you have to say will change my mind."

"But I'm--"

"I do not wish to talk about this any longer."

"If you'd just--"

"Mickey. Are you even listening to me?"

"Father, please--"

"Mickey! That is ENOUGH!!" The Mad Doctor exclaimed, a sudden intensity rising in his voice. "You are NOT leaving this tower, EVER!!"

Mickey felt himself sink backwards upon that demand, his hand curling away from the closet. A look of fear and hurt had reflected in his eyes.

"Ugh." The Doctor mumbled, slumping onto a cushioned chair. "I hate when you force me to argue with you like this."

The mouse stayed silent for a few long moments. He brought his hands to his sides, his gaze shifting to the floor. He took a deep breath before speaking again. "I...I just...I only wanted to ask if you could...for my birthday, I mean...if you could..."

"Mickey." the Mad Doctor hissed, with a bout of exhaustion in his voice.

"If you could get me some of those fancy blue paints for my birthday. The...the ones in those little glass containers you once got me..."

The man furrowed his eyebrows. "That is a very long trip, Mickey. Almost three days time, I am sure."

Mickey swallowed thickly. "I just...thought it was a better idea than the...stars..."

The Mad Doctor hesitated for a long moment before responding. "...Do you honestly think you will be okay here for that time? All alone?"

"Yeah." A weak smile crept on the mouse's face. "As long as I'm here, I'm safe. Promise."

Mickey did not like breaking promises. But as he watched his father sink lower and lower along the exterior of the tower, he knew what he had to do.

~

Oswald's vision slowly but surely returned to him, fading from blurry darkness to vague resemblances of objects and colors. The only constant in his vision was the bright blue rope that bound his arms and legs to whatever he was sitting on-- a rope that trailed along the floor, around the furniture, up the balcony...

...wait. This wasn't a rope.

Was this...

"Hair?" Oswald mumbled to himself, beginning to struggle against the force of his binds. "What...why the hell is..."

He was suddenly interrupted by a high, falsetto voice, leaking from the shadows.

"Struggling...struggling is pointless...!"

The rabbit narrowed his eyes, searching for the speaker-- his vision still blurred by his throbbing headache. It only took a moment for him to catch sight of the mouse toon, ukulele placed in their hands. He also noticed their bright blue fur, and the long ribbons of hair that extended from atop their head...

"What..." Oswald mumbled, trying to get a better look at them. "What's goin' on...?? Is this-- didya tie me in your hair??"

"Who are you?" The mouse spoke fiercely. "H--...how did you find me?"

"I'd--" the rabbit started, with a groan, "ugggh, I seriously have no idea what's goin' on. Why am I...why am I tied in your hair?"

"I said...who are you??" The other repeated, in a much more demanding tone. "And how did you find me??"

"Look lady, I dunno if you've got cotton wedged in those big ol' ears 'a yours, but I ain't got the slightest idea who you are or what's goin' on here." He struggled against his binds once more, to no avail. "...But, I'm guessin' you ain't gonna let me out, so...uh...name's Oswald."

The mouse gave him an intense, silent look.

Oswald raised an eyebrow in response. "This is normally the part where ya give me your name." 

"Mickey" was all the other responded with.

"Uh, okay, Nicky--"

"Mickey." the mouse corrected.

"Bless you. Anyway, here's the thing. I did not mean to end up in this creepy old tower 'a yours. I'm guessin' you're some kinda damsel in distress, but I ain't really the kinda guy who rescues dames from towers. I'm more of a 'get my satchel and get outta here' guy, actually. So uh, if you know where my satchel is, I'd very much like it if ya gave it to me." The rabbit eyed the area as he spoke. "Then I'll be on my way, and you can wait here for whatever guy is comin' to rescue you--"

"Nuh-uh." Mickey interrupted. "It's not gonna be that easy. I've hidden your satchel somewhere where you'll never find it--"

"The dog has it." Oswald gestured over to Pluto, who was chewing and licking the leather straps of the satchel in an attempt to snap it open.

Mickey nervously eyed Pluto, saying nothing, then switched his gaze back to the rabbit-- before promptly knocking Oswald out with the base of the ukulele once again.

...When the rabbit dizzily opened his eyes, he was still bound to the chair, and the mouse triumphantly stood above him.

"Now I've hidden your satchel somewhere you'll never find it."

The rabbit groaned at that, before struggling against the thick locks of blue hair binding him once more. 

"What's your deal with my hair?" Mickey asked as he knelt down to the other's level. "Do you want to cut it? Sell it?"

"What--" Oswald blinked. "No, what?? Why would I wanna do that?? Your hair smells like paint! The only reason I'm so...fixated on it is 'cause you literally tied me to a chair with it!"

Mickey pulled back, saying nothing.

"Look Michelle--" the rabbit started.

"Mickey."

"Mickey, yeah, whatever. Like I said, comin' 'cross this tower was a complete accident. I was bein' chased, I saw a tower, I climbed it, and now I'm here, and my head really hurts-- what did you hit me with? A bat?"

Mickey blinked. "Are you...tellin' the truth?" 

"YES!" Oswald responded with a groan.

The mouse thought to himself for a few, long seconds. He eyed Pluto before speaking again. "What do you think, Pluto? Think we can trust this guy...? He's got no pointy teeth, and he's pretty small. I don't think rabbits are predators of mice."

Oswald threw his head back in response. "Oh my goddd he's talkin' to the dog now..."

Mickey suddenly lassoed the chair Oswald was bound to, pulling it close.

"Alright Oswald! I...we have made the decision to trust you. I will untie ya ONLY IF...you agree to a deal."

He then spun the rabbit around to face the mural of the fireworks painting.

"Do you know what these are?" the mouse asked.

"Uhh...I dunno. The firework thing they do for the prince?"

Mickey paused for a moment, muttering to himself. "Fireworks...I knew they weren't stars. Anyway-- tomorrow evenin' they'll light up the sky. I need ya to take me there, as my guide, 'n return me home safely once we've seen them. Then, 'n only then, will I return your satchel to you. Got it?"

"Uhh, yeah, no." the other answered. "I'm kinda banished from the kingdom, so...I ain't takin' you there, actually."

Mickey lassoed the rabbit closer. "Oh, you are 'takin' me there, actually,' because no matter how much ya cry, or beg, I will never, ever tell you where your satchel is. You could tear this tower apart brick by brick, but without me, you will never find it. Never ever."

Oswald raised an eyebrow at him. He internally weighed his options before speaking again. "Ugh, so...lemme get this straight. I take ya to see the fireworks tomorrow, then bring ya back home, 'n then you give me my satchel back. Is that right?"

Mickey gave him a stern nod.

"Uggghhhhh." groaned the rabbit. "Fine. Fine, fine, fine fine fine fine."

The mouse's face lit up with excitement, and he exclaimed a "really??" before letting go of his hair, and promptly dropping Oswald onto the floor with a hard smack. "Oops! Sorry." 

Oswald gave a huffy sigh. This was going to be a long trip.


	4. Chapter 4

"I ain't gettin' any younger down here mouse."

Oswald spoke with his arms crossed, impatiently tapping his boot against the green grass. Across from him, Mickey clung to a rope of his own blue hair, his shoe inches away from the ground. Pluto was hunched atop his head.

"H-hold on!! Hold on." responded the mouse. "I've never...actually...done this before...what if the grass burns my feet off?"

"I mean. You're wearin' shoes." Oswald stuffed his hands into his pockets. "But you're probably right. Let's just go back."

"No! No...I hafta do this. I'm never gonna get a chance like this again. I..." Mickey slowly, ever so slowly, lowered his foot to the ground...and as he felt the breeze against his fur, his heart started to pound.

And with that, he let go of his hair, and dropped to the grass. 

He took a few slow steps forward, each step growing a bit faster, until he was walking, running, skipping across the grass-- picking up blades of grass with his hands and and rubbing them against his fur, tossing them into the air...

Pluto raced aside him as he zoomed across the meadow, his shoes splashing in small puddles, and crunching the small pebbles beneath him.

"THIS IS SO FUN!!" was all Oswald heard the mouse exclaim, the blue toon zipping through his vision like a blur.

Oswald silently kept to himself as he watched Mickey climb atop rocks, swing across trees with his hair, splash through streams of water, and generally act like a rabid animal.

"God!" Oswald finally exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. "You've been runnin' crazy for ten minutes now! When are we gonna leave this meadow?"

Mickey paused before looking to the rabbit. "Oh. Oh gosh, I dunno. Father would kill me if he found out I...if he knew I even left the tower..." The mouse anxiously began to run his fingers down his hair. "But. But! I can't give up this opportunity. Let's go, c'mon, let's go."

Oswald gave a sigh, watching Mickey slip through the alcove separating the meadow from the rest of the world, before promptly following suit. 

"Ohhhh!" Mickey squealed, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "What is that? What is that right there?"

The rabbit's eyes followed the direction Mickey was pointing, eventually meeting with the pavement below their feet.

"Uh...the road." Oswald responded, unsure if his question was genuine. "Mean Street ain't too far from here, 'n the outskirts stretch into the forest-- oh, you already left. Okay."

"Oh my gosh!!" Mickey exclaimed, who was high atop a rock. "I can't believe I didn't do this earlier!! I am NEVER goin' back!!"

About five minutes later, Mickey, who was lying face down on the pavement, spoke, "I'm a horrible child. I have to go back."

And another five minutes later, Mickey had begun to swing himself around a tree with his own hair, yelling, "This is so FUN!!"

"This is it." The mouse continued, yet another five minutes later, lying back on a pile of leaves. "This is the worst thing I've ever done. My father will never forgive me."

Yet Mickey rolled down a hill in a bundle of his own hair, exclaiming, "THIS IS THE BEST THING I'VE EVER DONE!!" exactly five minutes later.

Oswald stayed by the mouse's side, watching his mood swings with a roll of the eyes. "Hey, if you're havin' such a hard time out here, why don't ya just go back to that tower 'a yours?"

Mickey popped up from the grass, before responding, "whaddya mean?"

"Well I'm--" Oswald started, "I don't know your life, but I'm guessin' that this father 'a yours ain't exactly the most...forgivin'. And I dont think he'd be too happy with you goin' out on some big quest with a guy ya just met. Now, I hate my family as much as the next guy, but..." The rabbit slumped himself against a rock. "C'mon. You don't wanna give this guy a heart attack, right? Why don't you take me back to the tower, give me my satchel, and part ways with me never tellin' anyone what you did? Seems like a good offer to me."

"No!" Mickey demanded. "We had a deal. You're takin' me to see the fireworks. 'N if I hafta call my father all five curse words to get there, so be it." The mouse then gasped and covered his mouth, realizing what he had said. "Oh-- no, actually I didn't mean that. Don't tell my father I said that."

Oswald hesitated, counting on his fingers, before responding, "wait, how many curse words do ya think there are?"

"C'mon!!" exclaimed Mickey. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!! Let's go see Mean Street! Let's go--"

Mickey was suddenly interrupted by Oswald grabbing him by the back of his shirt.

"Hold on there, Ariel. I ain't aidin' a runaway Disney princess 'til I get somethin' to eat. Why don't we stop by the joint for a bite?"

"The joint?" Mickey asked.

~

"'Paulie's Ice Cream Shop?'"

Mickey side-eyed the building-- a run down looking shop covered in chipped paint, with a sign half-hazardly sticking out of the grass before it. 

"Yeah, you'll love it." responded Oswald. "Quiet little place. Just your style."

Pushing open the doors revealed large, brutish toons sitting about wooden tables, with weapons aligning the walls, and the unflattering scent of Thinner wafting through the air. Mickey squeaked and rushed behind Oswald for protection. He had instinctively pulled out his ukulele and prepared himself for self defense.

"Woah there, mouse. What's the problem?" The rabbit asked with a half smile. "Can't handle a little socializin'? These guys are the nicest people you'll ever meet."

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a bottle breaking over someone's head.

"Oh, let's go get our grub 'fore it gets too rowdy 'round here." Oswald grabbed the mouse's hand and led him to the bar, where only a few empty seats remained. Plopping himself and the other down, the rabbit then leaned forward and gave Paulie, the bartender, a sly grin.

"Paulie! My good man." Oswald greeted. "Love what ya done with the place. Really gives off those "we're gonna kill ya" vibes. And-- wait a minute, is that human blood on your clothes?" Oswald tapped Mickey's shoulder, pointing to the stain in question. "Mouse, look at all that blood on Paulie's clothes! Astoundin', really."

"I know what you're tryin' to do!" Mickey spoke, holding Pluto close to him. "But I ain't goin' back to that tower yet! You could chop off my arm and I'd still--"

Mickey was interrupted by a meat cleaver landing just beside his arm, causing him to emit a shrill squeak. "Nono!! I didn't mean it, I-- oh, hiya." Looking up, his eyes met with a large dog toon, who slammed a poster onto the table.

"This you?" the toon spoke, pointing to what appeared to be a wanted poster.

"Nono, I--" Oswald scrutinized the poster for a long moment before speaking. "....Hey, wait a minute! This is a picture of Bugs Bunny!" The rabbit held the poster in the air, which read, "WANTED-- DEAD OR ALIVE, OSWALD THE LUCKY RABBIT" and, indeed, had a picture of Bugs Bunny just above the caption. "You guys couldn't even get a picture 'a me on here!"

Oswald paused, upon realizing he had admitted to, then lowered the poster. "I mean. No. No, this ain't me. Not me at all."

"Oh it's him alright." spoke an animatronic pirate toon with a hooked hand. "Someone go fetch the guards!"

"Do you realize what I could buy with that bounty?" demanded another large animatronic toon, grabbing Oswald by the shirt.

Mickey immediately pointed his ukulele in defense. "Hey!! Back off!! Leave 'em alone!!"

"And what're you gonna do with that thing?" the toon asked, mockingly. "Play me a song?"

Mickey then responded by whacking the assailant with the base of his instrument.

Which, in turn, caused the different members of the pub to start attacking one another after someone had yelled the words "bar fight."

As chairs and pieces of wood were swung, and shouts echoed throughout the pub, Pluto could spot a familiar face through the window. A toon man, clad in a dark red coat. The dog began to bark in response, which caused Mickey to instinctively grab him, pulling him close.

Oswald looked on with wide eyes, snatching Mickey by the arm, and hiding behind the counter as pieces of wood and debris flew over their heads. "Man, I gotta get me one 'a those." the rabbit spoke with a gesture to Mickey's instrument.

The mouse suddenly felt something, or someone, pull him by his hair-- causing him to squeak and blindly swing his instrument. "Nono, stop!! Lemme go!!" 

Oswald quickly grabbed ahold of Mickey's foot, but was instead pulled along with the mouse-- and the two dangled in the air, being held up by a toon four times their size. 

"Hey!! What's the big idea, pal??" Mickey demanded, kicking furiously with his free leg. "Can't you just let me 'n my buddy go?? I need 'em to see the fireworks!! C'mon!! Haven't any of you ever had a dream!?"

That assertion suddenly caused the pub to go silent, and Mickey and Oswald felt themselves being dropped to the floor with a hard thud.

"What makes you think we don't got dreams?" The animatronic toon leaned in close to Mickey as he spoke.

"Well, I dunno." responded the mouse. He noticed Oswald nervously draw a finger across his neck, as if he were gesturing Mickey to stop talking. "What kinda dreams do ya have...?"

"I want to be an actor." the hooked pirate toon suddenly spoke from afar.

"...I want to be a seamstress." another toon interjected, and suddenly the pub grew louder with toons announcing their dreams.

"I want to sell cupcakes!"

"I want to fall in love."

"I want to make music!"

Mickey smiled upon hearing the clamoring voices, and climbed onto the counter to get a better speaking position. "See! You all have dreams! 'N I got one too! I wanna go see the fireworks light up the night sky, 'n I need this rabbit's help to get there. And if you fellas take him away, I'll have to go back to my tower, and...and I'll probably never, ever get a chance to see them again." The mouse ran his fingers through his hair. "So please, please let me live out my dream! Don't we all deserve a chance to do that?"

The pub went silent, contemplating on his words for a few long seconds. One toon, however, pointed to Oswald and asked, "well what's your dream then?"

Oswald's gaze nervously switched around the pub, then to the mouse standing on the counter. "...Uh, I dunno. Not gettin' arrested sounds pretty nice."

"C'mon!" insisted Mickey. "You gotta have a dream, Ozzy!"

"Uhhhm..." The rabbit rubbed the back of his head. "Oh! I've actually always wanted to live on my own island surrounded by piles 'a cash."

"That's a lousy dream!" a toon called out.

"Well-- that's big talk comin' from the guy who wanted to sell decorative soaps!" Oswald responded.

Suddenly, their discussion was interrupted by the door of the pub slamming to the ground, and palace guardsmen storming through the entrance-- clad in armor and weapons. They began to call out Oswald's name, pushing over chairs and tables. Before Mickey could realize what was happening, he felt himself be grabbed by the wrist and pulled behind the counter once again.

"Mouse. Rabbit." Paulie spoke, with a gesture to a small hatch door placed on the floor. "Go this way. It's a shortcut out. Go, live your dream."

Oswald looked to the hatch door, then to Paulie. "I will."

"Your dream stinks." responded Paulie. "I was talkin' to him."

Mickey gave the dog toon a smile, then answered, "thanks for everything," before grabbing Oswald and slipping through the hatch door.


	5. Chapter 5

The two toons began to crawl through the tunnel for what felt like hours. Nothing but rocks and dirt paved their way, and Mickey's hair seemed to never catch up with them. Attempting to make small talk, the rabbit broke the silence.

"So. You're pretty good with that ukulele. Never knew you could do so much damage with a piece 'a plastic."

"Well I don't actually have a real weapon." responded the mouse. "Father says they're dangerous."

"Uh, yeah. That's the whole point." Oswald hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Yannow...your whole backstory is honestly kinda gettin' to me. I mean...I know you don't want me askin' about the overprotective father--"

"No." Mickey interrupted.

"Or the weird blue hair--"

"Nope."

"And the dog is kinda weird--"

"His name is Pluto."

"But lemme ask," the rabbit continued, "what was stoppin' you from goin' to see the fireworks yourself? Or, at the very least, what was stoppin' your father from takin' you?"

Mickey paused for a brief moment. "Uhhm...well, uh...well actually, what about you? Why does everyone wanna capture you so badly? And what about that whole 'bein' banished from the kingdom' business?"

"Woah there, bud." Oswald clicked his tongue. "Don't turn this on me. We were talkin' about your weird life, not mine."

"Oh c'mon! At least you know some things about me. I don't really know nothin' about you."

"Mm-hm." nodded Oswald. "Let's keep it that way. There's too big 'a bounty on my head for me to be spillin' secrets willy nilly."

Mickey contemplated on that for a moment, and the two continued in silence. 

Suddenly, however, the mouse felt the rocks slip from beneath him-- and before he could process what was happening, the two began to tumble into an even darker tunnel. 

The rabbit blindly swung his hands about, his vision obscured, until his fingers met with something cold and hard. Wrapping his hands around the object before him, he quickly made it out to be a pipe of some sort, emitting a steam so hot that it burned his palm to touch it. He could feel other pipes surrounding him, and the realization of where they were at suddenly struck.

"Oh my god-- mouse!!" the rabbit exclaimed, protectively grabbing ahold of the other. "We-- we're in the D.E.C.!! Do ya know what's down here??"

"No?" Mickey responded.

"Thinner pipes! Lots of em!" Oswald felt the fear pound in his chest. "We-- this is what the kingdom uses to get rid 'a garbage!! If we stay down here, the Thinner fumes will eat right through us!!"

"What??" Mickey tightly held Pluto close. "Wh-- well what do we do??"

"I dunno. I dunno, just-- just stay calm." Oswald blindly moved his hands about, feeling nothing but pipes and gears. He searched around for what seemed like minutes. Eventually, he fell backwards onto a pipe-- causing it to spray Thinner fumes into the air.

"God--" The rabbit sucked air through his teeth and began to panic, his hands moving faster than before. Mickey attempted to help him, but neither could find anything that could be of any use to them. It only took a few minutes for the fumes to fill the air.

"Mouse," Oswald started with a cough, "Mouse, stop!! Save your breath!! It's-- we ain't gonna find nothin'!! It's pitch black in here!!" 

"No!" Mickey dug his way through the rocks below him, finding nothing but more pipes. "Nononono!! It can't end like this!! We gotta-- we-- we gotta find--"

"Mouse, it's hopeless!! There's no point!!" Oswald grabbed ahold of the mouse's shoulders. "Save what little air we got!!"

Mickey didn't respond for a long moment, but Oswald could feel him begin to tremble. Almost immediately, the mouse broke down into a sob.

"No, no, I'm-- I'm so sorry, Oswald, I-- I didn't mean for this to happen!! I never shoulda done this, I- I couldn't survive out here, it's-- I--"

Oswald tried not to break down himself, and pulled the mouse close. "Hey. Hey. Listen, I--" The rabbit hesitated. Then he took a deep breath. "Listen. It's Disney."

Mickey stopped for a moment, then asked, "...what...?"

"Oswald Disney." the rabbit responded. "That's my name. I'm...a prince, actually. From the kingdom. You...you wanted to know about me, and..."

Mickey paused for a moment, then gave him a weak smile. "I have magic hair that glows when I sing."

Oswald blinked. "Huh?"

"I..." the mouse started, realization hitting him, "...I...have magic hair that glows when I sing!!"

"What the hell are you--" Oswald spoke, before being immediately cut off.

"Color come to life, let your luster shine, memories reverse--" Mickey's voice halted as he began to cough. Thinner filled the air around him. "--createwhatoncewasmine, drawwhat'sbeenerased--

Oswald began to feel lightheaded. He couldn't process what was happening, or what Mickey was singing. Suddenly, however, streaks of electric blue began to illuminate the mouse's hair-- causing the rabbit to gasp in shock, and subsequently fill his lungs with more Thinner.

The glow of Mickey's hair lit up the entire tunnel, and he immediately spotted a hatch door in the distance. Grabbing Oswald's hand, he rushed over to the door and quickly pulled it open-- slipping his friend and dog through the exit before any more Thinner could enter their lungs.

Both toons immediately inhaled a heaping breath of the outside air before flopping onto the grass. 

After a few long seconds, the mouse murmured, "we're alive."

"Your hair glows." Oswald responded.

"We're ALIVE!!" Mickey bounced upwards, his veins pumping with adrenaline.

"His hair GLOWS--" Oswald ran his fingers atop his head and looked to Pluto. "Why does his hair glow!? What the hell is goin' on with my life!?"

"Oswald--"

"WHY does your hair glow!?"

"OSWALD--"

"WHAT?"

The mouse held up a lock of his own hair. "It doesn't just glow."

~

"So uh, not to pry," Oswald nervously spoke, "but I would very much like to know why you're wrappin' your magic glowin' hair around my injured hand."

"Just-- trust me." responded the mouse. "And please, please don't freak out."

Oswald said nothing. His glance shifted from the mouse's blue hair to his own hand.

Mickey took a deep breath before starting. "Color, come to life. Let your luster shine. Memories reverse. Create what once was mine..."

Mickey's hair came to life with ribbons of electric blue. The glow slowly moved from his head down the length of his hair, and even the fur on his body began to softly ruminate. Oswald instinctively jerked his arm forward as the glow passed him. Slowly, but steadily, it approached his hand.

"Draw what's been erased. Fade from black to white. Paint what now is gone, create what once was mine..."

Oswald looked to the lock of hair wrapped around his palm.

"...what once was mine."

It wasn't until this moment that the rabbit realized the other was attempting to do...something with his hand. Removing the lock of hair revealed, however, that the burn had not only healed-- but disappeared entirely from his fur. The rabbit's eyes went wide.

"Wh-- wh--" Oswald shakily brought his hand up to his face. "What the hell did you--"

"It's okay!!" Mickey exclaimed. "It's okay!! Don't freak out!!" 

Oswald's panicked expression quickly morphed into a nervous smile. "N--no, I wasn't-- I ain't freakin' out, I'm just-- very interested in your hair 'n the magical qualities it possesses-- how long has it been doin' that exactly??"

"Uh...all my life?" Mickey mumbled, before falling backwards into the grass. "It's...I...was kinda born with it. Father said it's somethin' called...Pigment, or somethin', a-and he said..." The mouse's gaze shifted to the starry sky above them as Pluto fell asleep on his lap. "He said if I ever cut it, it'd lose its power. 'N he told me that people would try to...kidnap me, and take its power for themselves. So he kept me in the tower, 'n I never..."

The mouse's voice trailed off, and only then did all of the pieces connect together within Oswald's mind. The rabbit softly responded, "you never left that tower."

The two sat in silence for a long moment. Oswald contemplated whether he wanted to ask Mickey what his plans were-- if he even wanted to go back to the tower-- but ultimately decided against it. A quiet air lingered between the two.

"So..." Mickey spoke, breaking the silence. "Prince Oswald Disney."

Oswald blinked. "...Ugh. That's right-- can't believe I told you 'bout that."

"Well-- now you practically hafta tell me everything." Mickey remarked.

"Yeah..." The rabbit gave a deep sigh. "Okay. So...uh, when I was a little kid, our brother-- the Prince-- was kidnapped. And it...it really tore our family apart, especially after Mom 'n Dad died. And...my brother Julius, 'n sister, Felicity, they..."

Oswald's voice momentarily trailed. "...when I got older, someone planted evidence in my room, accusin' me of gettin' rid of the Prince. My brother and sister, I think they wanted closure for the whole thing, and they thought...I did it. And...they banished me from the kingdom. And now I...now I just drift about, findin' my way by stealin' and cheatin', and..."

The rabbit emitted another sigh. Mickey gave him a deep, pensive look.

"Oh, Oswald..." Mickey murmured. "...You...did you...ever find out who planted that evidence....?"

"No." responded the rabbit. "Don't think I ever will, either. Hardly knew anything about the Prince. Just that he was...kidnapped as a baby, 'n...the kingdom went crazy..." He flopped over onto his side. "I think they were just lookin' for a finger to point. Honestly I don't even remember anything about the guy-- the Prince, I mean. But if I could find 'em, I'd... I dunno."

"You'd...what?" Mickey asked. "Would you...go back? Back to the kingdom...?"

Oswald hesitated. "...I dunno."

The mouse decided not to ask about it anymore.

And the two princes stared up at the stars, a comfortable silence resting between them.


	6. Chapter 6

"Mouse, you mind if I go fetch some more firewood?" Oswald asked, rising from the grass.

"Are you askin' me for permission?"

"No, uh, I'm actually gonna go get more firewood, 'n your opinion on the subject don't matter to me." Oswald gave him a casual salute. "Be back in a minute."

The mouse watched the other head into the cluster of trees before fading out of his vision. Taking a deep breath, the mouse then began to stroke his fingers along Pluto's head-- who was still asleep in his lap.

"Oh, thank goodness. I thought he would never leave."

Mickey felt his shoulders stiffen upon hearing that voice-- that sickeningly familiar voice-- and immediately whipped his head around. "Father!?"

Beneath a veil of shadows, the Mad Doctor stood patiently still. "Hello, my dear boy."

"H-h-how--" Mickey stammered, feeling himself instinctively move backwards, "how did you find me...!?"

"Oh, Teardrop, do you not trust my fatherly instincts..." The Doctor then raised an eyebrow. "Well. Since you are here, I suppose I already know the answer to that."

The mouse could feel his heart pounding within his throat, but still managed to stutter out a few words. "You-- we-- we can't go home yet."

"And why is that, now?"

"I..." Mickey nervously wrapped his hair around his fingers. "I've learned...I've learned so much since I've left, a-and the world...it's not as bad as you say! I've seen so many people, and I've met someone really special--"

"The rabbit?" his father asked. "The one who has kidnapped the Prince? Is that your definition of 'someone really special', now?"

"No-- he didn't do that!" Mickey felt his voice involuntary raise. "He's not-- he ain't like that, he's...I-I think we could become really good friends, me 'n him, and I--"

"You think he likes you now?" scoffed the Mad Doctor. "Come on. Are you not remembering what I told you? My dear boy, this whole 'friendship' you have invented with this man-- it is demented! Demented, I say."

"But Father--"

"Look at yourself, child! Why would he want anything to do with you, aside from your..." The man picked up a lock of Mickey's hair, letting his voice trail.

"He-- he doesn't want my hair! He didn't even know it was magic until--"

"This is why you should never have left." the Doctor interrupted. "You are too naive for this world, my boy, and if you stay here for much longer...well. Come to your senses. Return home with me. After all, Father knows b--"

"No." Mickey demanded, cutting him off. 

The Mad Doctor was taken aback for a second, a brief second, before furrowing his eyebrows in response. "No!? Oh. I see how it is." He then took a few slow steps around the mouse. "Mickey knows best. Mickey is so mature now. Is that it? You know better than your own father, is what you are telling me? Such a clever, grown up boy." 

The Doctor suddenly stopped, before saying, "Well, if you are so sure of yourself, go ahead and give him this!"

Mickey felt something sleek and cold land in his lap-- the familiar black tiara. With wide eyes, his glance switched between the circlet and his father.

"This is why he is helping you! Do not forget, his motivations boil down to that piece of jewelry! But fine, if you do not believe me-- put him to the test! See how fast he leaves you!" The man suddenly knelt down and grabbed Mickey's face, pulling him close. "But if he is lying, do not run home crying! For I told you, Father knows best!"

Those were the final words Mickey was left with before his father disappeared into the woods. The mouse could feel his heart pounding, as if it were about to pop out of his chest. He glanced down to the circlet. A million thoughts raced through his mind at once-- but were all suddenly brought to a halt by another familiar voice.

"Hey, mouse, have ya ever wondered why everyone still wear gloves? I mean, toons ain't made in black 'n white no more--" The rabbit paused upon noticing Mickey's demeanor. "Woah. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I..." Mickey, distracted by his own thoughts, stuffed the tiara into his hammerspace. "...was just...thinkin', I guess."

Oswald dropped a pile of wood onto the grass before continuing. "Well anyway, I managed to scrap together some wood, so that should last us for the rest 'a the night. I mean, unless a meteor strikes or somethin', which would most likely not keep us alive for the rest 'a the night."

Mickey contemplated to himself, not entirely listening to what the other was saying.

~

Oswald slowly opened his eyes to a familiar face standing over him. The face of a bulky cat toon, clad in leather...

"Pegleg Pete!!" Oswald exclaimed, immediately shooting up. "How-- how-- how’ve ya been, buddy...??" 

"Arrested." Pete huffed, before grabbing the rabbit by the collar and yanking him close. "Broke outta jail. 'N now I'm gonna break you."

"Oh man, oh man--" Oswald stammered. "Listen, listen buddy, if it's the crown you want, I ain't got it. I-I really don't have nothin' else to give you, and--"

"I think me breakin' every bone in yer body is a just compensation." responded Pete.

"What is goin' on here!?" 

Both toons paused and looked to the source of the voice-- the mouse, and his dog, who stared them down with a fierce glare.

"...Who's the girly." Pete asked, eyeing Oswald.

"That's-- oh, that's Mickey, actually." Oswald swallowed thickly. "I'm takin' 'em to see the fireworks..."

"Now-- I have no idea who you are, or what beef you got with my pal here," Mickey started, "but today is a very important day for me. And I'd very much appreciate it if you left 'em alone."

Oswald gave a small sigh of relief.

Mickey placed his hands onto his hips. "And then, when the fireworks are over, THEN you can do whatever it is ya need to do. Got it?"

"What!?" exclaimed the rabbit.

Pete promptly let go of Oswald, dropping him to the ground. "Okay. That works for me."

"Wait-- what?? That does not work for me!!" Oswald protested. "Hello!?"

"Now let's get goin'," Mickey said in a sing-songy tone, "I can see Mean Street from here!"

Pete stuffed his hands into the pockets of his vest and promptly followed behind, and with a sigh, Oswald trailed after.

It didn't take too long for the duo turned trio to reach the outskirts of the city, where sparkly skyscrapers touched the sky, and toons bustled beside and around them. A glistening fountain stood directly at the crosspoint of every street, and the mouse skipped over to it and splashed his hands in the water.

"Oh my gosh-- this amazin'!" the mouse exclaimed. 

"This is just the entrance to the kingdom, bud." added Oswald. "We ain't even there yet. But, uh...it gets even more crowded up there than it does down here, so..." The rabbit looked down to the locks of hair that trailed passed his feet. "Listen, we gotta do somethin' with your hair."

"Whaddya mean...?" Mickey asked.

Oswald's eyes trailed from Mickey's hair to a group of little girls sitting on the other side of the fountain, playing a braid train...

Pete brought his fingers to his mouth and emitted a shrill whistle, catching the attention of the girls-- who gave excited gasps upon seeing Mickey's hair.

And grabbing the blue locks, skipping and dancing along the ground, the girls crossed over tufts of hair until they interlocked in a fishtail pattern-- resulting in a thick braid hanging from the mouse's head. They dotted his hair in flowers and berets, before tying the braid closed, and Mickey admired his new hairdo in the fountain reflection. 

"Oh my gosh, this looks amazin'!!" Mickey exclaimed with a spin. "Ohh-- I love it!! Thank ya so much!!"

Pluto hopped behind the mouse's long braid of hair, watching it nearly drag along the ground, and the children behind him emitted laughs and giggles as he did so. 

It didn't take too long for the trio to reach the kingdom gate-- a massive drawbridge, connecting Mean Street to the Disney Kingdom. Oswald pulled the hood of his vest over his ears before looking to the others. With glistening eyes, the mouse beamed radiantly, before running along the bridge and into the kingdom walls.

And what a beautiful sight it was, with colorful lanterns aligning the sky, and toons everywhere clad in rainbow dyed outfits. Serenades drifted through the air, and Mickey couldn't stop himself from skipping and dancing about.

Mickey suddenly interlocked Pete's hands in his own, and spun him in a circle, to the surprise of the cat toon. The music around them only grew louder, and crowds of toons began to gather around the colorful mouse. 

Mickey then grabbed ahold of Oswald's wrist, and before he could object, the rabbit was pulled into the center of the plaza-- where the mouse had subsequently grabbed many other toons, and started a group dance. The toons twirled and spun in harmony, and the blue-haired mouse threw his hands in the air as he did so.

After the dance, Mickey felt something soft and light be placed into his hands. Pete had given him a small piece of cloth, with the kingdom emblem painted onto it-- a single blue droplet. Mickey held the emblem into the air, and realized that the droplet motif was decorated all throughout the kingdom. On banners, on pots, on clothes, on the ground...the droplet was everywhere.

Not too much longer after that, the trio neared Dark Beauty Castle-- the giant, stone palace claimed to be the pride of the kingdom. Mickey's eyes sparkled as he took the sight in. The castle was dyed in a rich, deep blue color, with colorful flags bearing the emblem flying high above their heads. 

The mouse paused once his eyes met with a curious mural, portraying a toon woman, a toon man, their two children-- and, most interestingly-- a small baby covered in bright blue fur. He didn't have too much time to process the image before he was grabbed by his wrist, however, and pulled away.

"C'mon Mickey!" Oswald exclaimed. "It's almost time!" 

The rabbit led him to a bright blue lake, with water that glistened under the evening sky, and only then did Mickey realize what was happening.

~

Mickey and Oswald drifted within a single canoe-like boat. Pluto and Pete waited for them along the shore, and the mouse's eyes were glued to the sky for what seemed like hours.

"Oh-- I'm so excited..." murmured Mickey. "I...I dunno how to feel. My stomach is in a million knots, but...but not in a bad way, I..."

A long silence lingered between the two.

"I'm kinda...terrified." he continued. "I've stared out that window, all my life, hopin' and wishin' to see these fireworks. What if...what if it's not everything I dreamed it would be...?" Mickey's gaze shifted to the floor. "And...what if it is? What then...?"

Oswald contemplated on that for a moment before responding. "Well. That's the good part, I guess. Ya get to go find a new dream."

Another moment of silence hung in the air. The night sky dimmed far above their heads, and for a moment, for a brief moment, the two brothers felt as if they were the only people in the entire world.

A single firework launched into the sky, bursting into ribbons of light and color. Mickey's eyes glistened as he watched another firework explode, then another, and another, until the black night became illuminated by crackles of bright colors. 

Firework after firework shot into the air, and Mickey noticed the reflection of color that glowed along the surface of the lake. The water looked almost luminescent. Streams of rainbow danced in the air around him, and Mickey did not, for a single second, tear his eyes away from the sight.

Colors gleamed in Oswald's eyes. He didn't know what to feel, but the show was rather...nostalgic, in a way. Normally, nostalgia was never a good feeling for him, but as he caught sight of the mouse across from him, bouncing in place, as happy as he had ever seen him...a smile crept along the rabbit's face.

The show was spectacular. 

When it ended, and the last firework shot into the sky and exploded into a bundle of rainbows, Mickey's eyes were still glued to the night. He was mesmerized, absolutely mesmerized. It was better than anything he could ever dream of.

After a long moment of silence, Mickey finally said, "wow."

"...Wow- wowowowow!!!" Mickey brought his hands to his face, unable to contain his excitement. "Oh gosh, oh golly gosh, that was-- I-I can't even describe it with words!!"

"So was it everything ya dreamed of?" asked Oswald.

"Oh, was it!! This was-- i-it was the most amazin' thing I ever seen!!" Mickey rubbed away the tears that had unknowingly formed in his eyes. "This was the best birthday ever, hands down!!"

Wait.

"...Wait, it's your birthday?" The rabbit's eyebrows suddenly furrowed, a look of seriousness washing over his face. "We came here to see the fireworks on your birthday, the same ones they launch every year...on the Prince's...." Oswald's gaze shifted from the floor of the boat to Mickey's face. "Mickey. Give me the tiara."

Mickey was taken aback for a brief moment. "...What-- how...how did you know I had it...?"

"I-- just-- give it to me, please. It's important."

The mouse shifted uneasily in his seat, saying nothing, before slowly slipping the circlet out of his hammerspace and handing it to the other. Oswald, placing it between his fingers, carefully shifted his glance from the mouse beside him to the piece of jewelry in his hands-- until suddenly, the moment was interrupted by the loud blare of a horn.

In the distance, boats filled with palace guardsmen slowly neared.

"Oh-- oh nonono, Mickey--" Oswald unthinkingly stuffed the tiara into his pocket, "Mickey, I need you to get outta here. Let-- you can't be here when--"

"What??" exclaimed Mickey. "What, no!! I'm not gonna leave you--"

Suddenly, Oswald felt himself being ripped away from the boat, circlet still clutched in his hands. Before Mickey could process what was happening, he was pushed into the water by Oswald's foot, the cold liquid immediately seeping into the mouse's clothes and hair.

Everything in that moment seemed to happen so fast. Mickey had no idea where Oswald was, and the world around him zipped by like a blur-- until he was torn out of the water by a toon four times his own size, and thrown onto the ground.

The mouse squirmed and struggled against his captor, shouting incoherently, his mind racing with so many thoughts that he couldn't even process what was happening. 

"Mickey!! Mickey, calm down!!" Pete spoke, pulling the mouse behind the corner of a nearby building.

"Oswald!! Oswald!!" the mouse cried out. "They took 'em, the guardsmen took 'em, we gotta-- we gotta--"

"Mickey, look at me!! That stupid rabbit can get 'emself outta trouble! He'll be okay!!" The cat toon grabbed Mickey stiffly by the shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes. "All they want is that there tiara, Oswald just wanted to get it away from you--"

"How...how did you know I had the tiara?" Mickey slowly asked.

Pete went quiet, hesitation halting his voice.

"...You...both of you knew that I had it, how did you..." Mickey took a few steps backwards, a million thoughts racing through his mind. Most prominently, the vision of the tiara still within Oswald's hand. "...no, nonononono, you--"

"Mickey, it ain't what'cha think--" Pete took a few steps towards him in response. "I-- I made a deal--"

"Leave me alone!! D-don't come near me!!"

Pete seemed to close in on the mouse, faster and faster, causing panic to rise within his chest-- but when he looked up, he could see the Mad Doctor standing above him-- having knocked out the cat with a blunt object. 

"Oh, my dear boy, are you alright!?" The Doctor spoke, kneeling down to his level.

And in that moment, he had never been happier to run into his father's embrace, and let him sweep him away.


	7. Chapter 7

"Teardrop, how does vegetable soup sound for dinner?"

Mickey did not respond to his father's question, and sat slumped over the table. His bright blue hair obscured his face.

"Teadrop, did you not hear me ask you a question?" The Mad Doctor pulled the hair away from the mouse's eyes. "...Oh, my dear boy. I tried to warn you about the outside, I truly did. This world is full of people who will try to wash away your color. But do not worry about it now. You are home, and you are safe."

Mickey didn't have anything to say.

The Doctor gave a deep sigh. "Teardrop, before we eat, go up to your room and change out of those filthy clothes."

The mouse slowly rose from his seat, his hair still draped over his face, and slowly made his way up the tower stairs. He neared his bedroom, noticing that his furniture was left untouched, and his bed had been neatly made...

Mickey let himself flop down onto the mattress. He wanted to cry, he wanted to scream and kick and shout...but he did not. Instead, he covered his eyes, and let the silence of his bedroom overtake him.

"..I know you are upset." interjected his father, who had entered his room without his knowing, and plopped down onto the bed beside him. "But that man-- he was a dangerous, dangerous criminal. He did not care about you as you did him. He only wanted one thing from you, and now he has it."

Mickey didn't want to hear this, but he listened anyway. His father was right. His father was always right. "...At least I got to see the...the stars..."

"Yes, I suppose so." responded the Doctor. "A birthday gift fit for a Prince-- quite literally, I might add. You are lucky to experience something like that without being stabbed. Now, enough talk of this little adventure of yours. It is very--"

"What did you just say?" Mickey asked. He was sitting up now, and his eyebrows furrowed, as if he were deep in thought.

"...Eh?" his father remarked.

"You said...you said the fireworks were a birthday gift....for the Prince. Oswald was talking about how...how we came to see 'em on..." The mouse's expression went blank. "...on my birthday..."

"Mouse, you know how I feel about the stammering--"

"The fireworks." Mickey suddenly spoke, his voice clear and stern. "They launch fireworks every year, on the Prince's birthday, which also happens to be my birthday. That's what Oswald was talkin' about. And...and now that I think about it, the Lost Prince is covered in blue fur. And I--"

"Now that is enough, Teardrop."

"I'm covered in blue fur. I'm covered in blue fur, and-" Mickey couldn't stop now. The thoughts flooded through his mind faster than he could process them. “The teardrop. The teardrop emblem, it's all over my paintings-- why is it all over my paintings? Why is that somethin’’ I remember? Why--”

"Mickey, I said that is enou--"

"If I knew any better, I'd think--"

"MICKEY!!"

"Oh my god-- I AM the Lost Prince!!" Mickey was now raising his voice, something he had never done to his father before. All the pieces in his mind clicked together, from the tiara, to the mural, to the fireworks, to Oswald...Mickey could feel his balance slip as he thought about it. "I am, aren't I!? You keep me locked up in this dumb tower, tellin' me that I need to stay away from people who want to use me for my power, but..."

For once, the Mad Doctor did not interrupt him. A momentary flash of panic washed over his face, but he quickly remedied it with a stern look. "Teardrop, do you not hear how silly you sound?"

"DON'T call me that." Mickey demanded, prompting a low growl from Pluto. "All this time, all this time-- it was you, wasn't it??"

"I did what I needed to to PROTECT you!!" His father's voice now matched the intensity of the mouse's. "If Pete had done that one, SIMPLE task I had asked of him-- ugh, I cannot even think about it--!!"

Mickey felt his heart drop upon hearing that. "P-Pete's...Pete's deal, the tiara...he knew about the tiara because of you!! You...you tried to coax 'em into scaring me home, didn't youl!? It was all you!!" A bout of realization washed over the mouse. "Oh my gosh... what...what did you do to them!? What did you do to Oswald!?"

The Mad Doctor paused before intently staring down his child. "He was a dangerous criminal, Mickey. He is to be drowned for his crimes."

Mickey felt his heart drop, and his eyes went wide with shock. "No...no, no, no..."

"Now now, Teardrop, I--" The Mad Doctor attempted to recollect the situation by grabbing ahold of the mouse's arm, but his hand was immediately smacked away.

"Let go of me!! I can't believe I went my whole life without knowin’ about this!! You were wrong about the world, 'n you were wrong about me!! And I will never let you use my hair again!!"

Mickey's mind frantically raced as he moved towards the door, and with his Heart pounding, the mouse and his dog left the tower for good. The door slammed behind him, and stung with an echo that bounced off of the stone walls.

"...Fine." The Doctor spoke, slumping into his chair. "You wish for me to be the bad guy? Well now I am the bad guy."

~

A thick feeling of dread hung in the air as Oswald was marched along the dusty corridor of the prison. His hands were bound by rope, and two heavily armored guardsmen held him by either side. 

"Wait!! Wait, listen to me-- please!!" Oswald had exclaimed. "I know where the Lost Prince is!! I can lead ya to 'em, I can!! I swear on it!!"

"Is that right? You know where the Lost Prince is?" sarcastically remarked one of the guards.

"Yes!! I do!! I-- listen, I wasn't gonna do this, I wasn't gonna tell you where he was-- but-- but I think he's in dange--”

"Alright, that's enough outta you." responded the other guardsman.

"No!! No wait, listen--" was all Oswald could mutter out before he was thrown against the hard stone wall of his prison cell. He quickly scrambled for the exit, for any last scrap of hope, and freedom, before the door was slammed in his face with a heavy thunk.

"Oh god," the rabbit started, desperately clawing at the door, "oh god, oh please god, please tell me the mouse at least made it out with Pegleg--"

"He didn't." Pegleg Pete interrupted, which caused Oswald to spin around in place. The cat toon was slumped down onto a stone bench, a bandage wrapped tightly around his head.

"Pete!?" the rabbit toon exclaimed. "Why-- what happened?? Where's the mouse!?"

"Oh he's right here next to me, don'tcha see 'em--" Pete started, mockingly, before saying, "obviously I don't have 'em. All I remember was him gettin' real small when I brought up that tiara 'a his, 'n then I was hit on the head and now I'm here."

"You asked him about the--" Oswald ran his fingers atop his head. "okay. Okay. Whatever. It don't matter now. At least he's s--" The rabbit paused. "Wait, you were hit on the head!? By who!?"

"The old man in the coat!" Pete threw his hands in the air. "The same one who told me about the stinkin' tiara in the first place! If I wasn't so gosh darn sentimental about that stupid mouse, I wouldn't even be here!"

"Listen." Oswald wasted no time, and hopped onto the cat toon's lap. "Mickey is in trouble. 'N no matter what happened 'tween us before, we HAFTA put aside our differences if we wanna help him."

Pete raised an eyebrow. "Our differences? As in, you lyin' to me, cheatin' me out, betrayin' me--"

"Yes yes, we all know I'm a horrible guy, 'n I should be locked up, 'n blah blah blah. But frankly, we don't got time to 'Disney redemption arc' our way through an entire song, so let's just admit that we both did some things-- arguably, you more than me-- and get the hell outta here. Got it?"

Pete looked to Oswald, giving a heavy sigh, before responding, "fine. How do ya suppose we get ourselves outta this predicament, Bugs?"

Before Oswald could have a chance to respond to that, both toons were met with a loud, hollow clang, just beyond their cell-- followed by the clatter of metal against the stone floor.

With a click, their cell door opened, revealing a familiar dog toon stiffly holding a ukulele.

"Paulie!?" the rabbit exclaimed, before noticing that the toon in question had knocked out the guardsmen with the instrument now resting in his hands. "Wow!! Ukuleles. Who knew, right?"

And feeling his wrist be grabbed, the rabbit was led down the hall beyond his prison cell. Pete followed closely behind them.

"Is the rest 'a the Ice Cream Shop here?" Oswald asked.

"You know it, pal." was all Paulie responded with. Oswald's eyes met with the familiar faces of the pub, having escaped from the cells surrounding them. 

"Fellas, we gotta save Mickey. What's the plan?" the rabbit asked.

"We're gonna use you as a battering ram." The hooked animatronic toon responded.

Oswald raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

And sure enough, grabbing the rabbit toon and slamming his head hard enough against the stone walls of the prison proved fruitful-- after about five attempts. Oswald's toon body served to be relatively unharmed as the wall toppled into the grass below.

"Thanks...thanks, thanks...fellas..." Oswald dizzily spoke, once he had regained his footing. "...I guess..."

It only took a moment for the palace guards to catch sight of the commotion. Armored toons darted for the group of convicts, weapons in hand, and Pete switched his panicked glance between Oswald and the others.

"Oswald, get outta here!" demanded Pete. "We'll hold these guys off!! Go save Mickey!!"

"Wh--!? Really--? But what about--"

"Rabbit, GO!!"

And with a moment of hesitation, and a casual salute, Oswald took off.

~

"Mickey!! Let down your hair!!"

Oswald stood before the familiar blue tower. Once upon a time-- a few days ago, to be more specific-- the rabbit loathed the thought of coming back to this place. But right now, as panic pounded within his chest, all he wanted was to be inside of it again.

"Mickey!! Please, if you're there, please let down your hair!!"

And to his relief, the familiar sight of electric blue hair spilled out of the tower window, pooling in the grass below. 

Oswald climbed up that tower faster than he had ever climbed someone's hair, and it only took a few minutes for him to near closer and closer to the window above. With rapid breaths, he then slipped into the tower, before exclaiming,

"Mickey, I'd thought I'd never see you again!!"

and promptly being stabbed in the torso by a Thinner-coated blade.


	8. Chapter 8

Oswald fell to the floor with a hollow thud.

With what little strength he had, he fought to stay conscious. He could dizzily see Mickey before him, gagged and bound by chains. The mouse seemed to call out his name beneath the cloth covering his mouth.

"You know, I thought we had seen the last of you." spoke the voice of the Mad Doctor. An unfamiliar voice, but nonetheless, Oswald knew it to be him right away.

"You would think that planting the false evidence in your bedroom, constantly alerting palace guardsmen of your location, and you having nearly be executed would be enough of a warning for you to stay away from us. Yet for you to still decide to get tangled up in these affairs..." The Mad Doctor shook his head. "Now our secret will die with you."

The Doctor then jerked at the chains binding Mickey's wrists, causing the mouse to immediately kick and struggle against him. The man attempted to drag the other towards a trap door exposed on the floor.

"Mickey, that is enough--" 

Mickey cried out in protest under his gag, and the Mad Doctor responded by yanking his chain once again-- and once again, the mouse refused to submit. 

"Come on now, Mickey, must you really make this so diffic--"

The Doctor was once more interrupted by the cries and struggles of the mouse.

"Mickey, ENOUGH ALREADY!! Stop FIGHTING ME!!"

And by that point, Mickey had fought enough to slip the gag off of his mouth. He gave the man a fierce glare before speaking. "NO!! I will NEVER stop fightin' you!! No matter how much you try to keep me locked up, no matter how many times you drag me back here, I will NEVER stop tryin' to get away from you!!"

The mouse's look softened as he continued. "But. But, if ya let me heal him...if ya let me heal my brother, I'll go with you. And I'll never fight. I'll never try to escape. I'll sing for you every day, I'll be a good little son, 'n you and I will be together, forever. If, and only if, you let me do this."

The Mad Doctor raised an eyebrow in response. He seemed to contemplate on Mickey's offer for a good long second, as if even considering the mouse's words was doing a service to him. "Fine." he finally spoke.

And with that, the mouse's chains were loosened.

Mickey immediately scrambled over to his brother, scrambling above his dying body. His hands seemed to tremble as he brought his hands to the rabbit's face.

"Oswald, I'm-- I'm so sorry!! I-I never meant for any 'a this to--"

"No, Mickey!" Oswald weakly cried out with what little energy he had. "I can't...I can't let ya give up for me..."

"I can't let you die!!" responded Mickey.

"But if you do this--" Oswald brought up his hand in protest.

"Shhh, shhh."

"--then you will die..."

"No, it's going to be alright..." Tears were now streaming down Mickey's face. "I...I...you have to let me do this, I--"

It was at that moment that Mickey noticed the Thinner-coated knife in Oswald's hand. The Mad Doctor must have dropped it-- it wasn't as if it could be used to cut through solid objects, anyways. 

But there was one thing that Thinner could destroy.

In an instant, the blade of the knife was pressed against Mickey's bright blue hair-- immediately eating through the Paint making it up in less than a single second. The mouse's seventy feet of hair flew right off of his shoulders and landed on the stone floor. 

"Oswald, wh--" Mickey immediately brought his hands to where his hair had been cut, which now sharply ended at his shoulders. "Why did you--"

"NO!!!" The Mad Doctor cried out, an immediate desperation infecting his voice. "NO-- WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?"

Before Mickey could even process what was happening, his hair faded from its bright, electric blue to a dull black-- as did the pile of loose hair that landed on the floor. He gave a panicked look to the Mad Doctor, whose body now seemed to dematerialize at the seams.

The Paint making up the man's body began to crumble and rot away. His bright red Heart was now exposed within his chest, but only gave a few final beats of life before turning to muck, and melting away within him. Instinctually, the mouse reached out for the man with a trembling hand. But he could not save the Doctor, who then tightly wrapped himself in his coat, and tripped out the window in a daze-- falling thirty feet to his doom below.

When Mickey peered out the window, all he could see was the red cloth worn by the Doctor spilled across the grass. But as the moment passed, he suddenly could not remember the name or the face of who the man was to begin with.

As is the fate of the forgotten.

Coming to his senses, the mouse rushed back over to his brother and wrapped his arms around his dying body.

Ink seemed to bleed out of the rabbit's wound and spill onto the floor beneath him. He didn't have much time. 

Mickey didn't have much time.

"No, nononono, Oswald--" Mickey croaked, "don't-- don't leave me! I'm here, I'm here, look at me--"

"Mickey."

"Color come to life, color come to life-- let your luster shine--" The mouse's voice further broke with each word he spoke. "memories.... memories reverse, create--" 

It didn't take too long for the mouse to break down into a sob.

"I'm singin' the song, I'm-- I'm singin' it, see...??" he continued. "I'm singin' it, so you can't die now, I--" 

"Mickey..." Oswald interrupted.

"Dr-- draw what's been erased-- fade from black to white-- puh-- paint what now is gone, createwhatoncewasmine--" 

"Mickey."

The mouse had stopped now. As much as he didn't want to accept it, the song would not work now. He could not heal his brother. And with that, he finally responded, "yes, Oswald...?"

"I want ya to know...we were my new dream.”

It was in that moment, with those final words, that the final bit of life had left the rabbit's body.

“M--...mine too…” Hot tears rolled down Mickey's cheeks and plinked onto the cold body below. He could only emit shaky sobs as he tightly pulled his brother close, and his voice, desperate and tearful, bounced off of the walls of the empty tower surrounding him.

He never got to finish his song...

With a shaky breath, and eyes closed shut, Mickey started, "Color...come to life...

...let your luster shine...

...memories reverse, create...what once, was mine...

...draw what's been erased...

...fade from black to white...

...paint what now is gone, create what once was mine...

...what once was mine."

...As Mickey opened his eyes, a bright swirl of blue danced around his vision, flowering from Oswald's wounded chest. The air filled with ribbons of bright Paint. The mouse's eyes went wide, and a soft glow emitted from the both of them.

Looking around, he noticed the color enveloping the tower, starting from the floor, and spreading to the walls and roof. A blanket of blue tinted his vision. 

And then slowly, it died out.

His gaze shifting to the rabbit below him, Mickey lit up upon seeing his brother's chest periodically rise and drop with breaths of life.

"Mickey..." Oswald softly spoke.

Mickey paused for a moment, with a bout of shock and joy, before his mouth crept into a weak smile. "Oswald."

The two brothers needed no further words. They pulled each other into a tight hug, the comfortable silence lingering in the air between them.

"Yannow, you're more of a...more of a Snow White than an Ariel now..."

Oswald gestured to Mickey's hair as he spoke, causing the mouse to break out into tearful giggles.

~

Neither of them were sure what to feel.

Both boys' stomachs knotted with a bundle of nervousness, glee, and excitement as they stood before the doors leading onto the palace balcony.

This is where the guards had directed them to once they asked to meet the King and Queen. Normally such a request would not be fulfilled, but under the circumstances...

...the circumstances of the Lost Prince standing before them, specifically...

well.

Nothing could afford to get in the way of this moment.

Looking to each other, and giving a silent nod, both brothers pushed open the doors of the palace-- hand in hand.

And standing on the balcony were the King and Queen themselves-- Julius and Felicity Disney.

"What is it now, m--" Julius started, turning his head towards the intruder-- before immediately cutting himself off.

The cat's eyes went wide, as did his sister's, as the two Princes stood within their vision. One, a prince said to be long dead, and the other, a prince accused of committing the act.

Neither of which, in this very moment, proved to be true.

With no words, Mickey darted for his brother and sister. He immediately pulled them into a tight hug, their faces resting within the crook of his neck, and tears welling up in their eyes. It was a feeling none of them had ever experienced.

However, Oswald watched from afar with a motionless stare. These two toons, those he thought to be his family, those he thought would trust him and support him through thick and thin...

...the same toons that accused him of betraying his kingdom; the same toons that, despite their better judgment, believed Oswald to be a criminal.

The same toons that believed him to be the cause behind Mickey's disappearance for all those long years.

The same toons that banished Oswald from his home, and forced him to resort to a life of thievery to survive.

The rabbit gave a thick swallow. His brother and sister were looking at him now, their eyes so obviously full of sorrow and regret. 

Oswald wasn't ready to forgive them. Not yet, and possibly not for a very, very long time. Possibly, not ever.

But as they opened their arms to him, he didn't hesitate to run into their tight embrace.

And he considered that maybe, maybe, if he couldn't forgive them now...then this was at least a good place to start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you liked this story :) thank you for reading!


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